Quote:
Originally Posted by M5Rick
That's a sensible decision as it's one of those things that has built up with 'tick for tack' on the track between two drivers in the same make of race car.
I shudder to think what would be FIA's reaction in similar circumstances between two F1 drivers.
|
NASCAR and F1: the world is watching and the elite drivers are supposed to set an example. Governing bodies are supposed to penalize bad behavior.
On the one hand, true that you need to consider the incident within its context (what happened prior to the incident between both drivers - it is reported that Chastain has a track record of aggressive 'elbows out' behavior on track). But on the other hand, deliberately making physical contact is unacceptable. Gragson should not have made physical contact with Chastain in the first place. But Chastain's violent blow that followed, also cannot be condoned. OK, Chastain was allowed to stand his ground and to defend himself (Gragson definitely grabbed him), but his Chuck Norris reaction was IMHO disproportionate - it could have remained some pushing and shoving with officials intervening whilst cameras were rolling. Those images by elite drivers give the sport a bad name and may inspire others to do the same. But maybe Americans see the situation differently compared to Europeans.
Remember the Verstappen-Ocon incident. Images and Race Stewards decision about the lap 44/71 incident during the 2018 Brazil race (race leader Verstappen was fighting for the race win, trailed by Hamilton - Ocon had been lapped). Ocon got a 10-second 'stop & go' penalty for causing a collision. Verstappen was ordered to undertake two days of public service at the discretion of the FIA for making deliberate physical contact with Ocon. What Ocon did on track was unacceptable. But that did not legitimize Verstappen to make physical contact (repeated pushing) with Ocon in the garage after the race.
